20050127

eryngii mushrooms, the giant oyster variety. creepy in the bob esponja way--part wacky, part baby limbs, a lot spongy, and a lot to answer for. spiceblog's answer was this, and from there i began.

shingiku, or chrysanthemum leaves. these are pretty, don't you agree? if i ever get married--and you will know when that happens when satan knocks, needing a snowboard for his newly icy domain--i would seriously consider incorporating them into the decor. that and clumps of oyster mushrooms.

mizuna, or dandelion greens? mustard greens? similar families. either way, i'm led to believe that these are considered weeds.

dice the 'shrooms, some onion, a bit end of smoky bacon if you have it. add it to a smokin' hot pan with a mild oil, minced garlic, sautée until softened, the add a dollop of oyster sauce and a dash of sherry until well-coated and cooked through. serve atop a bed of steamed greens drizzled with toasted sesame oil, or as a filling a la jmom's chicken in lettuce cups recipe.

the mushrooms are spongetastic but not very meaty, as spiceblog will attest, so this is a much lighter dish than you would think. the greens are considered bitter, but they are not particularly so--just enough edge to even out the sweetness of the mushroom and onion sauté.

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hey anthony--yes, one day we will understand them, or they will conquer us....planet of the mushrooms? "damn dirty fungi!"garnish, smarnish. i think it's better in great quantities. keeps the yard tidier.

hi karen! i think people stopped eating ferns here after they were deemed carcinogenic and the ground seeds were thought to cause parkinson's disease, but pako is only the young fern tip, correct? chamorros call pansit-pansitan podpod-lahi. i think it's only used as a medicine for gout and diabetes here, but it's like, everywhere--grows in the cracks in the sidewalks. maybe i should start pulling it out and using it in tisanes. i think it prevents uric acid build up. how do you cook it? we cook the shingiku and mizuna with mongo, maybe i should use the pansit- pansitan instead. would it counteract the effects of the mongo? ;-)

Yes, we only use the young tips of pako, no tough parts, no seeds. Carcinogenic, really?

Pansit-pansitan is eaten raw for salads. Just cut up and add tomatoes - that would be a good partner for tuyo or any fried fish. I haven't cooked it for anything but Mom boils them with pandan or oregano to drink as tea. I know pansit-pansitan was found to have properties to flush out uric acid but I'm not sure about its synergy with monggo. In any case, tell me how it tastes when you try it.

By the way, the Hawaiian contingent is here. We had dinner here in San Jose with two of the San Vicente ladies. You'll get pictures if my dialup connection behaves.

hi karen--most people think that the whole fern is carcinogenic, but i think it's the seeds and the older fronds with the seed embedded in them. certainly the seeds are being looked at as the cause of lytico and bodig disease, which is a neurodegenerative disorder similar to parkinson's or lou gehrig's disease, only 50x worse. apparently, during WW2, people were forced to grind the seeds for flour, and this along with foraging through the jungle for food and eating the older ferns, they think is the reason that particular generation was hit so hard by lytico-bodig.

on a completely different note, say hi to pia for me :-D

ollie ollie--where are your twinkie logs? i demand to see them. all food looks good if you are hungry, but thank you for the kind compliments.

DISCLAIMER: this is a personal journal with no desires to be anything but. it contains my opinion with occasional fact thrown in; recipes have been tested where noted, in an unairconditioned kitchen in the tropics. YMMV. for my sake and yours, consult a professional!